Slow to mature after marriage

The crisp sound echoed loudly on the empty steps. The smile on Mu Cheng's face hadn't even faded when the slap sent his head snapping to the side. He stood there, stunned, his expression shifting from bewilderment to confusion, finally settling on disbelief.

Xu Ruolin covered her mouth.

A look of surprise appeared on Mu Sigui's face.

He instinctively stepped in front of Mu Siwan.

Mu Cheng's expression shifted from astonishment to confusion, finally burning with anger. He was the head of the Mu family, the rule of the household—when did it become the turn of an adopted daughter to raise a hand to hit him?

Just because you give her a friendly look doesn't mean she thinks she's something special.

"You—" Mu Cheng raised his hand, his eyes blazing with anger, "You ungrateful little beast!"

Before the slap could land, Mu Sigui stepped in front of Mu Siwan, fueling her anger even more. "You traitor, have you forgotten who you are?"

Mu Sigui had always had a deep-seated fear of Mu Cheng, but at this moment she stubbornly refused to back down even a step.

He said in a deep voice, "If given a choice, who would want to bear the surname Mu?"

"you……"

Mu Cheng's slap was about to land on Mu Sigui's face.

"Get out of my way." Mu Siwan's voice came from behind, calm and firm. "He wouldn't dare hit me."

She pushed Mu Sigui aside, stepped forward, stood in front of Mu Cheng, looked up at his eyes that were red with anger.

"Do you dare hit me?"

Mu Cheng's hand was raised, frozen in mid-air. The night wind blew, making the red mark on his face feel hot. His hand trembled slightly, his knuckles clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

He really didn't dare to slap her.

He didn't know what Bo Yan would do after the fall. He couldn't afford to gamble.

Mu Siwan looked at him and gave a slight twitch of her lips.

"You don't dare, but I do."

She raised her hand.

Another crisp sound rang out. Mu Cheng was slapped back half a step, the red marks on his face overlapping, burning hot.

"If you want to rely on Bo Yan's power, you must first rely on mine. If you want to rely on my power, you'd better hold back this slap."

"Just like when we were kids, I depended on you for food, so I had to take your beatings. Now you depend on me for food, so if I beat you, you have to take it too."

Xu Ruolin stood to the side, watching this scene, the color draining from her face bit by bit. Her lips moved, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a single word.

They've gone mad. They've all gone mad.

Anger surged in Mu Cheng's eyes, his facial muscles twitched, and his teeth clenched so tightly they clicked. His hands fell to his sides, clenching into fists and then relaxing. In the end, he said nothing, turned and walked down the steps, his back stiff, his steps hurried and heavy.

Xu Ruolin jogged after her.

-

Mu Sigui stood there, watching the two figures get into the car one after the other. The car started, its taillights piercing the night, and it quickly disappeared around the street corner.

"Sister," he said, his voice slightly unsteady, "am I dreaming?"

Mu Siwan glanced at him. "I won't give you such a beautiful dream."

Mu Sigui paused for a moment, then scratched his head, his lips twitching as if he wanted to laugh, yet inexplicably felt like crying.

"My brother-in-law is such a great asset."

"Yeah, it works pretty well."

Mu Siwan stared at her slightly burning hands and shook them. She hailed a taxi, opened the door, and gestured for him to get in. Mu Sigui bent down and got in, and she followed him in, giving him her address.

The car drove into the night. After a moment of silence, she spoke: "Want to stay with me for a few days?"

Mu Yan Garden is large enough to comfortably accommodate one more person. As for Bo Yan—he probably won't say anything. If he really disagrees, she has other options.

"No need," Mu Sigui shook her head. "Take me back to school, I have classes tomorrow."

Mu Siwan's face turned cold when the school was mentioned.

"Why didn't you say anything if you were being bullied at school?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Mu Sigui's eyes. "Who bullied me?"

"That guy surnamed Zheng, he ganged up with the whole dorm to bully you."

"Oh, him?" Mu Sigui said flatly. "Isn't he already dead?"

Mu Siwan choked.

Mu Sigui grinned.

"It's really nothing. All three of them combined couldn't beat me. Now there are only two left. I doubt they'll dare go back to the dorm for a while."

He paused for a few seconds, then added, "You can take me back to my dorm, then I won't bother you and my brother-in-law."

Mu Siwan didn't press the matter further.

The car stopped at the school gate. Mu Sigui got out of the car and turned to leave.

"Wait." Mu Siwan lowered the car window.

Mu Sigui turned around. The boy was tall and thin, with a schoolbag slung over one shoulder. The streetlights outlined his silhouette faintly, and the wind blowing from the school gate lifted the stray hairs on his forehead. He stood there, like a poplar tree that had just sprouted new branches.

"If Mu Cheng comes looking for trouble, come find me, or your brother-in-law. He won't dare do anything."

Mu Sigui stood there, looking at her intently, and then suddenly spoke.

"Sis, is your husband really that good to you?"

Mu Siwan was taken aback for a moment, "...Why are you suddenly asking that?"

"You've changed so much lately." Mu Sigui lifted her backpack up, took a step back, and waved at her. "I'm so happy to see you like this now."

-

By the time we returned to Muyan Garden, it was already very late at night.

Mu Siwan habitually left the lights off and curled up on the sofa. The living room was empty, with only a small patch of gray-white light filtering in from the window. She curled up into a ball, burying her face in her arms, and it took her a long time to feel tired.

After those two slaps, Mu Siwan thought she would feel relieved. But she didn't. Her heart felt empty, as if something had broken, sinking heavily, and she couldn't grasp anything. She didn't know what she was thinking, or what she should be thinking. She just huddled there, motionless.

After a long time, Mu Siwan took out her phone and opened her chat with Bo Yan.

The conversation ended a few hours ago.

[Mu Siwan]: It's inconvenient to return the call right now. It's been resolved. Thank you.

【Bo Yan】：：

He gave her a period in response.

A bare, unspoken period.

Mu Siwan stared at the period for a long time, blinked, and still didn't understand.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, falling on her ankles, making the chain shimmer.

She stared at the period and suddenly longed to hear Bo Yan's voice.

I want him to explain what that period means, or I don't need him to explain it at all. Just talking to him is fine, I don't care what he says.

Mu Siwan then remembered that she hadn't called him to let him know today, so calling him now wouldn't be too much to ask, right?

It's 11:30.

Mu Siwan bit her lip, clicked on his profile picture, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed the video call button.

The screen lit up, and the ringtone echoed in the empty living room, sounding as if a heart was pounding in unison.